Planning Commission OKs permit for Silver Oak project

The Carson City Planning Commission has approved a special use permit for a 178-unit multifamily residential project on 6.2 acres within the Silver Oak Planned Unit Development at Silver Oak Drive and North Carson Street.

The project proposed by Alta Consulting Ltd. would provide four buildings, including a two-story clubhouse, on a parcel in the Silver Oak Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoned retail commercial on the southeast corner of Silver Oak Drive and GS Richards Boulevard. The PUD does not include land use restrictions for parcels within the commercial zoning districts; therefore, the project site must meet standards for the base zoning district.

Associate planner Heather Manzo said there are points of access from GS Richards Boulevard, parking spaces and a row of single-car garages along the property’s eastern side. The proposed two driveways to GS Richards do meet code with an alternative 1.7 parking space standard proposed, and staff was comfortable with this request, Manzo said.

The city’s zoning code calculates two spaces per unit, with 356 spaces required for the proposed project, a higher rate than other sources. The applicant requested a reduction to approximately 1.06 to 1.37 spaces per unit for a total of 267 spaces at an average of 1.5 parking spaces per unit. The project description had noted that GS Richards Boulevard could accommodate on-street parking and no additional guest parking spaces would be necessary on site.

Manzo said it was not the first time the commission had received a request for a multifamily unit development for this site. In 2017, an applicant received approval for a similar project that wasn’t developed.

Mark Neuffer, founder and principal of Alta Consulting based in Verdi, said he agreed with the staff report’s recommendations. Neuffer previously served as a planning commissioner for Douglas County, including as chairman, and has more than 30 years of experience in commercial and residential construction and project management experience.

As a condition of approval, Alta was required to demonstrate tenants’ dedicated garage spaces would be reserved for vehicle parking. Commissioner Richard Perry asked Neuffer what happens in the event someone decides to use it for storage.

“How are you going to police it when someone decides to put a kayak (in one)?” Perry asked.

“I hope I’m not the one that has to police it,” Neuffer said.

“Because it will happen,” Perry responded.

Neuffer said there would need to be an agreement with tenants not to use garage space for storage. He added one of the attractive features about the project’s location is its proximity and walkability to retail centers and restaurants such as Save Mart and Glen Eagles.

The proposed site has four main buildings, with the main four-story building closest to Silver Oak and the others being two or three stories. Manzo said it has a 43-foot roof height.

The proposal received various concerns from local residents about the city accommodating incoming development. Residents’ remarks ranged from inadequate water to support new residents, building height, creating additional traffic and the need for more schools, road maintenance to specific project requirements.

Colleen Schiller, volunteer coordinator for the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, said during public comment she was worried Carson City was losing its “rural character” by allowing more complex residential projects. She also asked if the traffic study had been done with boots on the ground and in the course of more than a day.

“It’s cold and it’s not friendly and it doesn’t say, ‘Welcome to Carson City,’” Schiller said. “I think we’ve lost our feel here.”

LeAnn Saarem, a local engineer and business owner, spoke on the density of the project and compatibility of the parking standards.

“We don’t fit into the average of what the whole United States is,” she said. “We are not a big city where everybody walks. We are a small community, we are an outdoor community, we have snow, we have four-wheel drives. Most of us have larger vehicles for that reason and these parking spaces concern me for that reason. We should revert to at least the standards that we’ve asked for in our community.”

The commission made the approval 6-1 upon the condition that parking density would be 1.8 spaces per unit after further discussion, with Commissioner Nathaniel Killgore opposed. Neuffer said during final discussion before the vote he agreed with the condition.